Career Specialist, Career Development

BIOLA UNIVERSITY - LA MIRADA, CALIFORNIA

Address of Job Location: 13800 Biola Ave, La Mirada, CA 90639

Website page of the Job Posting

Job Summary:

The Career Specialist serves as a liaison from the Career Center to select academic departments and plays an important role in bridging the gap between employers and students. This position will develop a thorough understanding of the job market within program-aligned industries and will coordinate the delivery of high-quality career education and resources to help students develop and showcase marketable skills and connect with employers. In addition, the Career Specialist will contribute to a strategy for employer partnerships and will connect them with student recruiting opportunities, providing a high level of customer service.

Supervision Received: Director of Career Development and Success
Hours Per Week: 40
Months Per Year: 12
Hiring Range: $31.33 - 35.07 per hour

Job Responsibilities:

Employee responsibilities are represented in three functional areas:

Student Engagement
Career Coaching/Consultation: Provide students and alumni personalized assistance in defining career options, developing employment skills, and job-search procedures, with focus on specific industry clusters related to academic departments.
Employment/Industry Training Workshops and Resources: Develop, coordinate, and facilitate training, workshops, and in-class presentations to include resume preparation, job-search strategies, networking, career information technology (including LinkedIn), interview skills, and experiential learning preparation. Collaborate with functional and industry-related student groups as well as departments and campus units to plan and deliver industry-related programming. Assist in developing online career resources such as articles, guides, and blog/social media posts.
Mentoring Program Leadership: Assess the existing mentorship program to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. Design a structured meeting framework with clear objectives, activities, and measurable outcomes. Organize, format, and present the mentoring guide to mentors, ensuring it is practical, accessible, and aligned with program goals. Streamline resources for mentors and mentees, improving consistency and supporting career readiness. Review and vet student applications to ensure strong mentor-mentee matches. Craft outreach communications and conduct interest meetings to assess fit. Meet individually with mentees to prepare them for meaningful conversations with mentors. Collaborate with administrators on pairing decisions. Maintain ongoing communication with students and mentors to ensure effective participation in the program. Develop and distribute a post-program survey to measure impact and inform future improvements.

Employer Engagement
Employer/Industry Development: Build partnerships between the university and external communities, such as alumni, employers and professional groups (within relevant industries), leading to the expansion of industry education, experiential learning and full-time employment opportunities.
Employer Event Management: Captain the design and execution of employer/student engagement events (e.g., Career Expos, Career Treks).
Professional Advisory Board Support: Collaborate coordinate meetings, agendas, and follow-up actions for the Professional Advisory Board. Engage board members in mentorship, graduate student support, and industry connection initiatives.

Faculty Engagement
Faculty Development: Coordinate college-specific outreach, programming and customized seminars, workshops, and programs based on student needs assessment and faculty requests. Partner with and advise faculty and college administrators on methods to enhance the quality of experiential learning/career development and to expand departmental participation.
Data Collection/Dissemination: Facilitate reporting of program-specific student career outcomes (e.g. internship/experience participation rates, new alumni employment levels) through electronic and direct communications with faculty, in order to collaborate on data-informed strategies for career success within the academic programs.
Resource Development: Coordinate resources in support of curricular and co-curricular career preparation. This includes curation and/or creation of articles, curriculum, or industry speakers to be accessible by faculty and students within the school.

Career Center Student Workers:
Support in the development and management of the Peer Internship Ambassadors program and other career center student workers.

The career specialist will also participate in:
professional development activities
an annual performance evaluation
cross-departmental collaboration
additional responsibilities as time permits.

Job Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree.
3-5 years of professional experience in relevant industry (such as media/communication, entertainment, arts, social/behavioral services, government, and education) and/or higher education.
Experience developing and executing educational, career-related or training programs, events, and initiatives.
Experience building relationships with external partners and strong customer service skills.
Strong project management skills, including the ability to set priorities, manage simultaneous projects, work effectively with colleagues, and complete projects on time.
Exceptional communication skills and the capacity for working both independently and collaboratively in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
Ability to learn, use, and maximize software and technology related to career services and program delivery.
Holds personal theological beliefs that are in agreement with the Biola Doctrinal Statement. Maintain a lifestyle in consonance with sound Christian principles and those promulgated by the University.

Expiration Date of Job Posting: March 31, 2026